James Olsen (New Earth)
| Universe = New Earth | BaseOfOperations = Metropolis | Gender = Male | Height = 5'7" | Weight = 150 lbs (68.0 kg) | Eyes = Blue | Hair = Red | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Journalist, Photographer | Education = | Origin = | PlaceOfBirth = Yonkers, New York | Creators = John Byrne | First = Man of Steel #2 | HistoryText = James Bartholomew Olsen was born to Jake and Sarah Olsen in Yonkers, NY. His father was in the military and was declared missing in Southeast Asia before Jimmy was born. In the absence of a father figure, Sarah Olsen became extremely protective of her son. His mother ran a newsagents, and he would get up early and collect stories about Metropolis from the paper for a scrapbook. Jimmy was a very bright child, but sometimes grew bored with his schoolwork. Often, he would cut classes to attend lectures. He got a job as an intern at the Daily Planet while still a junior high school student. When one of his friend's life was in jeopardy, Jimmy jury-rigged some spare electronic parts to produce a hypersonic sound and attract the attention of Superman. His plan was successful, and Superman arrived to save the day. The Man of Steel encouraged Jimmy to adapt his circuitry into a wristwatch and use it to contact him in emergencies. This became Jimmy's signal watch, and Jimmy became "Superman's Pal". Over the years however, Jimmy tended to use the watch to summon Superman for mundane reasons, often diverting the Man of Steel from responding to true disasters. After several such incidents, Superman warned Jimmy about abusing the signal watch. Jimmy's success grew at the Planet, rising up from a gopher to becoming a photographer and occasional reporter. Shortly before Superman's demise at the hands of Doomsday, Jimmy began freelancing for rival media magnate Collin Thornton of Newstime Magazine. When Superman was killed by Doomsday, it was Jimmy who took the infamous photograph of Superman's ragged cape, fluttering in the wind. This photograph was used as the frontspiece for a special Superman retrospective published by Newstime. Jimmy ultimately returned to the Daily Planet and took a position as a regular star reporter, replacing the demoted Clark Kent. This caused a strain in the relationship between Clark and Jimmy. In the year following the Infinite Crisis, Clark regained his original role as the Daily Planet's star reporter, and Jimmy returned to being a photographer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for his photographic efforts. Some time after that, Jimmy discovered that he had become a repository for the ambient power of New Gods who had fallen in battle. This caused Jimmy to spontaneously develop super-powers. Each power was drastically different from the other and only manifested at times when Jimmy's life was threatened. Countdown During Superman's prolonged battle against the god-like Atlas, Jimmy witnessed a mysterious individual present at the scene. Investigating further, he discovered that this man was actually Codename: Assassin who had been responsible for murdering Dubbilex and the original Newsboy Legion. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen v.2 #1 Faking his death with the help of Natasha Irons, he went undercover to find information about the mysterious organization known only as "Project 7734". | Powers = New God Power Repository: Typically, Jimmy Olsen does not possess any superhuman capabilities. Darkseid during the events of "Countdown started using Jimmy as a repository for the powers of fallen New Gods that he believed he would need in his plan to remake the universe in his image. The powers were different each time, and were specifically suited for each particular circumstance. These abilities included: *'Stretching:' Jimmy used this power to avoid being killed by Killer Croc. Countdown #49 *'Super-Speed:' Jimmy gained super-speed to save the life of an innocent pedestrian. Countdown #48 *'Projectile Spikes:' Jimmy generated spikes that he used to fend off several attackers in Suicide Slum. Countdown #45 *'Boom-Tube': Jimmy possesses the power to create boom tubes by force of will, by simply thinking about where he wants to go he can open interdimensional portals. | Abilities = Photo Journalist: Jimmy is an ace photographer and an accomplished, though amateur, investigative reporter. He has been awarded the Pulitizer Prize for photography. | Strength = Average: Jimmy Olsen possesses the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engages in moderate regular exercise. | Weaknesses = Jimmy has an uncanny knack for getting himself into trouble. This often leads to Superman being forced to divert his attention from another crisis in order to rescue Jimmy. Over time however, Jimmy has become more responsible and Superman has learned that Jimmy can often take care of himself. | Equipment = Signal Watch | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * During the Reign Of The Supermen storyline, Jimmy wore a Spin Doctors T-shirt -- the name of the band that performed "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" from their Pocket Full Of Kryptonite album. * Like in the TV series Smallville, Chloe Sullivan was a girlfriend of Jimmy Olsen. | CustomSection1 = Recommended Reading | CustomText1 = *Countdown *Superman Metropolis *World of Metropolis | Links = * Jimmy Olsen at Wikipedia * Superman - The Man of Steel Sourcebook * The DC Comics Encyclopedia }} Category:Good Characters Category:Reporters Category:Copper-Age Characters Category:Journalism Category:Photography Category:Superman Supporting Cast